NEW DELHI (PTI): Indian finance minister Dr .Manmohan Singh on. Dec.30 challenged two opposition deputies in the lower house to prove their charge that he had reprimanded a senior official for conducting tax raids on the premises of scamster Harshad Mehta. Describing their charge as totally unsubstantiated and unmitigated lie a visibly agitated Dr.Singh said he would retire from public life if the allegation was proved.
The finance minister threw the challenge to rightist Bharatiya Party (BJP) deputy Ghumanmal Lodha who alleged Dr Singh had pulled up a senior official of the central board of direct taxes for ordering raids on the promises of Bombay broker
A furore broke out with the ruling Congress-I deputies hotly contesting Lodhas charge. Opposition leader A.B Vajpayee pointed out the allegation was made earlier during the day by Abdul Gafoor (Janata Dal) and the finance minister though present in the house did not CONTEST it .
As Dr.Singh extended the challenge to Gafoor also the former Bihar chief minister said he was prepared to resign from the house by Friday.
Gafoor said in fact he was contemplating to resign from parliament on his own after listening to the arguments of Congress-I deputies that ministers should not be held responsible for lapses of their ministers.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 7, 1994
